What America’s immigrants looked like when they arrived on Ellis Island.
October 26, 2015 8:58 AM Subscribe
I found the most interesting thing was that the photos really reveal the monoculture of contemporary fashion. Everyone really does just dress the same these days.
posted by mary8nne at 9:12 AM on October 26, 2015 [11 favorites]
posted by mary8nne at 9:12 AM on October 26, 2015 [11 favorites]
I'm guessing these may have been special souvenir photos and not everyday clothes?
posted by Segundus at 9:28 AM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Segundus at 9:28 AM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
The clothing itself likely reveals details about where those immigrants specifically came from. Looking at the photo of the three Dutch women, it looks like they can be narrowed down to Zuid Beveland, and probably to certain towns based on the patterns of the skirts, and to Protestant or Catholic faith based on the jewelry and hats. I don't know those details personally, but they certainly are available.
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:30 AM on October 26, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:30 AM on October 26, 2015 [5 favorites]
I expected maybe shawls on the women, slicked down hair on the guys. I did not think that a hundred years ago, fashion in a lot of the less affluent societies was still like Game of Thrones.
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:44 AM on October 26, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by bonobothegreat at 9:44 AM on October 26, 2015 [7 favorites]
I agree, mary8nne. The apparel here looks strikingly purpose- and terrain-specific, a clue to how its wearers interacted with the literal, material world. By comparison, the modern uniform of non-identity (jeans, t-shirt, some kind of sneaker) looks like it is literally tailor-made for inactivity. Not that I'm against jeans or inactivity or whatevs.
posted by Bob Regular at 9:46 AM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Bob Regular at 9:46 AM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
I visited Ellis Island a couple of years ago, they had big, almost life-size prints of many of these in one of the galleries.
It's a pretty cool visit overall, well worth your time - even though when I went a lot of stuff from the museum was missing due to hurricane damage. One of the cool things I remember was this exhibit about the interviews they gave would-be immigrants, to determine if they had any useful skills before letting them in. Sometime in the late 20th century somebody did a series of recordings of their memories of the experience. Apparently the immigration interviewer asked this Polish woman, then a young girl - when washing stairs, do you start from the top or from the bottom? Her answer: I didn't come to America to wash stairs.
posted by Dr Dracator at 9:48 AM on October 26, 2015 [25 favorites]
It's a pretty cool visit overall, well worth your time - even though when I went a lot of stuff from the museum was missing due to hurricane damage. One of the cool things I remember was this exhibit about the interviews they gave would-be immigrants, to determine if they had any useful skills before letting them in. Sometime in the late 20th century somebody did a series of recordings of their memories of the experience. Apparently the immigration interviewer asked this Polish woman, then a young girl - when washing stairs, do you start from the top or from the bottom? Her answer: I didn't come to America to wash stairs.
posted by Dr Dracator at 9:48 AM on October 26, 2015 [25 favorites]
How refreshing to see immigration cast in a positive light for a change!
posted by TedW at 9:53 AM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by TedW at 9:53 AM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's obvious to me that most of these are people getting their pictures taken. Most likely for the first time. They obviously aren't wearing normal work clothing. So I'm not sure how much you can actually tell about their native environments, any more than looking at pictures of wedding or prom participants would.
posted by happyroach at 10:00 AM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by happyroach at 10:00 AM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
[ETA - I see my question is answered! My grandfather did look pretty dapper, though]
What I wonder, too, is how many of these people were photographed precisely because they looked picturesque? I say this because I have a photo of my great-great grandfather from just before he left Skane, and he has slicked down hair and a fairly nondescript period-typical jacket. He was an ordinary village guy and Skane was not exactly a cosmopolitan center.
At least some of these are obviously best clothes - you'd have to starch those white headpieces and the pleated Greek clothes would take some care. It seems like some of the outfits are probably partially everyday, though, simply because people didn't have a ton of clothes.
posted by Frowner at 10:04 AM on October 26, 2015
What I wonder, too, is how many of these people were photographed precisely because they looked picturesque? I say this because I have a photo of my great-great grandfather from just before he left Skane, and he has slicked down hair and a fairly nondescript period-typical jacket. He was an ordinary village guy and Skane was not exactly a cosmopolitan center.
At least some of these are obviously best clothes - you'd have to starch those white headpieces and the pleated Greek clothes would take some care. It seems like some of the outfits are probably partially everyday, though, simply because people didn't have a ton of clothes.
posted by Frowner at 10:04 AM on October 26, 2015
On "was this everyday clothes" - my hunch is probably not "everyday", but probably "Sunday Best".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:12 AM on October 26, 2015
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:12 AM on October 26, 2015
I have never in my life heard of the US referred to as a "mixing pot." Bizarre first paragraph. "Mixing"? Really?
One thing I learned at the Ballinstadt Emigration Museum in Hamburg was that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Argentina, not the US, had the highest rates of immigration in the world. But it doesn't have this mythology around it that the US does. Canada takes in more- twice as many- immigrants per capita than does the US but if you ask Canadians about that I'm assuming most would see the US as the target of the tired the poor the yearning to be free just because the US has done such an amazing job of selling itself that way.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 10:18 AM on October 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
One thing I learned at the Ballinstadt Emigration Museum in Hamburg was that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Argentina, not the US, had the highest rates of immigration in the world. But it doesn't have this mythology around it that the US does. Canada takes in more- twice as many- immigrants per capita than does the US but if you ask Canadians about that I'm assuming most would see the US as the target of the tired the poor the yearning to be free just because the US has done such an amazing job of selling itself that way.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 10:18 AM on October 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
I used to hear "melting pot" in re: the US and immigrants when I was at school as a kid. I don't know if that term is used anymore in US schools. It really is ingrained into our American mythology, despite it feeling less true than ever these days.
posted by Kitteh at 10:24 AM on October 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Kitteh at 10:24 AM on October 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
I think it feels more true than ever. But I live in LA, where all of us, nearly, agree that immigrants are still one of the very best things about the US.
More generally, there have been anti-immigrant bigots since the founding of the Republic.
posted by persona au gratin at 10:44 AM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
More generally, there have been anti-immigrant bigots since the founding of the Republic.
posted by persona au gratin at 10:44 AM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
It really is ingrained into our American mythology, despite it feeling less true than ever these days.
Oh, it's always been ingrained into the American mythology. The reality, however, is that there have also always been NIMBY's and anti-immigration bigots at the same time.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:02 AM on October 26, 2015
Oh, it's always been ingrained into the American mythology. The reality, however, is that there have also always been NIMBY's and anti-immigration bigots at the same time.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:02 AM on October 26, 2015
> I used to hear "melting pot" in re: the US and immigrants when I was at school as a kid.
"Melting pot," yes; "mixing pot" no. Reporter had a brain glitch and nobody edits anything any more.
Great photos; thanks for the post!
posted by languagehat at 11:02 AM on October 26, 2015 [4 favorites]
"Melting pot," yes; "mixing pot" no. Reporter had a brain glitch and nobody edits anything any more.
Great photos; thanks for the post!
posted by languagehat at 11:02 AM on October 26, 2015 [4 favorites]
Everyone really does just dress the same these days.
I'm not sure we do, or that the differences are less than they would have been a century ago when these pictures were taken.
For one thing, not everyone just wears jeans and t-shirts and whatever. Everyone in America, in a certain socio-economic class, maybe? But then that would have been equally true when these people were arriving in the US.
For another thing, aside from certain accessories, most of these styles of dress weren't all that different from "mainstream"/Western fashions of the time. Women are wearing long dresses. Men are wearing shirts or tunics and pants, with a few notable exceptions (and I'm pretty sure that Greek military uniform was considered a novelty even in the early 20th century). The major variables are in headgear, accessories, and outerwear, which is also true today. I might be wearing a shirt and pants and shoes, and you might be wearing a shirt and pants and shoes, but I'm in Southern California and my version is a tank top, jeans, and sandals with sunglasses, and you're in Minnesota and your version is a flannel, maybe also jeans, and boots with a down vest and a winter toque.
Also, I have to say, I've seen a lot of photographs from Ellis Island, and most of the subjects are wearing clothes that read as typical 19th/early 20th century Western style clothing. This link definitely cherry picks the more interesting looks and isn't necessarily that representative of how different from each other the typical Ellis Island immigrant would have dressed.
posted by Sara C. at 11:03 AM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'm not sure we do, or that the differences are less than they would have been a century ago when these pictures were taken.
For one thing, not everyone just wears jeans and t-shirts and whatever. Everyone in America, in a certain socio-economic class, maybe? But then that would have been equally true when these people were arriving in the US.
For another thing, aside from certain accessories, most of these styles of dress weren't all that different from "mainstream"/Western fashions of the time. Women are wearing long dresses. Men are wearing shirts or tunics and pants, with a few notable exceptions (and I'm pretty sure that Greek military uniform was considered a novelty even in the early 20th century). The major variables are in headgear, accessories, and outerwear, which is also true today. I might be wearing a shirt and pants and shoes, and you might be wearing a shirt and pants and shoes, but I'm in Southern California and my version is a tank top, jeans, and sandals with sunglasses, and you're in Minnesota and your version is a flannel, maybe also jeans, and boots with a down vest and a winter toque.
Also, I have to say, I've seen a lot of photographs from Ellis Island, and most of the subjects are wearing clothes that read as typical 19th/early 20th century Western style clothing. This link definitely cherry picks the more interesting looks and isn't necessarily that representative of how different from each other the typical Ellis Island immigrant would have dressed.
posted by Sara C. at 11:03 AM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
The stowaway photo is obviously the basis for a painting a like a lot, Kris Lewis' "Irish Boxer."
posted by maxsparber at 11:07 AM on October 26, 2015
posted by maxsparber at 11:07 AM on October 26, 2015
And I basically look like a new immigrant on Ellis Island right now.
posted by maxsparber at 11:07 AM on October 26, 2015
posted by maxsparber at 11:07 AM on October 26, 2015
Here are a couple of actuality films from 1903 and 1906, showing immigrants arriving at Ellis Island. I'm assuming these would be their typical traveling clothes, or possibly their cleanest traveling clothes changed into for arrival if they had extra:
Emigrants [i.e. immigrants] landing at Ellis Island / 1903 (Edison)
http://www.loc.gov/item/00694367/
Arrival of emigrants [i.e. immigrants], Ellis Island / 1906 (American Mutual & Biograph)
http://www.loc.gov/item/00694368/
posted by theatro at 11:26 AM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Emigrants [i.e. immigrants] landing at Ellis Island / 1903 (Edison)
http://www.loc.gov/item/00694367/
Arrival of emigrants [i.e. immigrants], Ellis Island / 1906 (American Mutual & Biograph)
http://www.loc.gov/item/00694368/
posted by theatro at 11:26 AM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Many of us of a certain age heard the term "melting pot" for the first time on Schoolhouse Rock .
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:30 AM on October 26, 2015
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:30 AM on October 26, 2015
More generally, there have been anti-immigrant bigots since the founding of the Republic.
No doubt, but anti-immigrant sentiment around the time of these pictures was often driven by labor unions who feared that immigrants would undercut members' wages. Similarly, in 1863, there was fear among NYCity's recent Irish and German immigrants that emancipation would mean a drop in the labor market.
In matters of policy, it is always worth following the money.
posted by BWA at 11:32 AM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
No doubt, but anti-immigrant sentiment around the time of these pictures was often driven by labor unions who feared that immigrants would undercut members' wages. Similarly, in 1863, there was fear among NYCity's recent Irish and German immigrants that emancipation would mean a drop in the labor market.
In matters of policy, it is always worth following the money.
posted by BWA at 11:32 AM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
cjelli: by sheer numbers America looks more welcoming.
Might the more prosaic explanation be that in the era before air-travel, most aspirants crossing the Atlantic ocean would have disembarked at a US port, and only those with a pre-existing plan or inclination crossed over to Canada.
posted by Gyan at 11:40 AM on October 26, 2015
Might the more prosaic explanation be that in the era before air-travel, most aspirants crossing the Atlantic ocean would have disembarked at a US port, and only those with a pre-existing plan or inclination crossed over to Canada.
posted by Gyan at 11:40 AM on October 26, 2015
Many of us of a certain age heard the term "melting pot" for the first time on Schoolhouse Rock .
When I was a kid ('70's) they used to tell us that while the US was a "melting pot," Canada was a "mosaic."
The implication being that in the US, everyone was forced to assimilate into a big homogeneous pot of American goo; while here in Canada every immigrant was allowed to remain a sparkling, individual piece of uniqueness and when the happy, diverse population was viewed as a whole it produced the big beautiful mosaic that is Canada.
While a lovely ideal, the reality of this sentiment is debatable.
posted by chococat at 11:48 AM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
When I was a kid ('70's) they used to tell us that while the US was a "melting pot," Canada was a "mosaic."
The implication being that in the US, everyone was forced to assimilate into a big homogeneous pot of American goo; while here in Canada every immigrant was allowed to remain a sparkling, individual piece of uniqueness and when the happy, diverse population was viewed as a whole it produced the big beautiful mosaic that is Canada.
While a lovely ideal, the reality of this sentiment is debatable.
posted by chococat at 11:48 AM on October 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
why do the LIBERALS always talk about wanting to melt people?? it is not okay
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:28 PM on October 26, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 12:28 PM on October 26, 2015 [4 favorites]
That Algerian man is just dreamy (swoons).
posted by thivaia at 12:49 PM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by thivaia at 12:49 PM on October 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Might the more prosaic explanation be that in the era before air-travel, most aspirants crossing the Atlantic ocean would have disembarked at a US port, and only those with a pre-existing plan or inclination crossed over to Canada.
Depends. Halifax was a big arrival point for immigrants (Pier 21) because it was generally a big port with lots of ship traffic due to currents which made it easy to get to. Of course, a lot of those immigrants ended up in the States. Montreal might also have been a good place to have disembarked because the train links to the central US would be easy to catch.
Lists of ships and passengers going through Canada (and some from US cities) are available online from Library and Archives Canada.
posted by hydrobatidae at 2:43 PM on October 26, 2015
Depends. Halifax was a big arrival point for immigrants (Pier 21) because it was generally a big port with lots of ship traffic due to currents which made it easy to get to. Of course, a lot of those immigrants ended up in the States. Montreal might also have been a good place to have disembarked because the train links to the central US would be easy to catch.
Lists of ships and passengers going through Canada (and some from US cities) are available online from Library and Archives Canada.
posted by hydrobatidae at 2:43 PM on October 26, 2015
The two Dutch kids look like they were just placed -rather roughly- on the stairs (or GRUFFLY ORDERED to stand still). Many of the adults seem to have taken dramatic and/or prideful poses.
Nice to see -something- of what's -really- going through people's minds (even if it's just persona projection), rather than today's standard 'everything's coming up roses' scrunched-up face, teeth-flashing lies.
posted by Twang at 2:55 PM on October 26, 2015
Nice to see -something- of what's -really- going through people's minds (even if it's just persona projection), rather than today's standard 'everything's coming up roses' scrunched-up face, teeth-flashing lies.
posted by Twang at 2:55 PM on October 26, 2015
One thing I learned at the Ballinstadt Emigration Museum in Hamburg was that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Argentina, not the US, had the highest rates of immigration in the world.
Family lore has it that my grandfather left Prussia sometime after WWI and went first to Argentina, where he spent several years before emigrating to the U.S. I had no idea Argentina was such a popular choice.
In 7th grade social studies (ca. 1984) I recall us debating whether the U.S. was a "melting pot" or, as our textbook wanted us to consider, a "salad bowl." I think the idea was that the salad bowl was a more inclusive metaphor, but I don't think a lot of my class was buying it.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 7:43 PM on October 26, 2015
Family lore has it that my grandfather left Prussia sometime after WWI and went first to Argentina, where he spent several years before emigrating to the U.S. I had no idea Argentina was such a popular choice.
In 7th grade social studies (ca. 1984) I recall us debating whether the U.S. was a "melting pot" or, as our textbook wanted us to consider, a "salad bowl." I think the idea was that the salad bowl was a more inclusive metaphor, but I don't think a lot of my class was buying it.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 7:43 PM on October 26, 2015
BWA: Similarly, in 1863, there was fear among NYCity's recent Irish and German immigrants that emancipation would mean a drop in the labor market.
There are things about it that aren't clear to me, but I think the NYC draft riots had more traction among the "established" immigrants, not the recent ones, as the recent ones had been being kicked out of the city by the established ones for a while and would end up on the "frontier"—at that time, places like Minnesota, where I'm from and where public sentiment was much more strongly pro-Union and volunteering was common.
Of course the distinction between established and recent was a matter of a couple decades or so in NYC, but that's also true today for incoming immigrants. There's a really fascinating connection between which parts of Europe were generating economic refugees, and which parts of America they were going to, that's based on the correlations between the respective histories that establishes the patchwork-quilts in large parts of the U.S. of, for example, why Butte, Montana is an isolated red dot in this map.
posted by traveler_ at 12:02 AM on October 29, 2015
There are things about it that aren't clear to me, but I think the NYC draft riots had more traction among the "established" immigrants, not the recent ones, as the recent ones had been being kicked out of the city by the established ones for a while and would end up on the "frontier"—at that time, places like Minnesota, where I'm from and where public sentiment was much more strongly pro-Union and volunteering was common.
Of course the distinction between established and recent was a matter of a couple decades or so in NYC, but that's also true today for incoming immigrants. There's a really fascinating connection between which parts of Europe were generating economic refugees, and which parts of America they were going to, that's based on the correlations between the respective histories that establishes the patchwork-quilts in large parts of the U.S. of, for example, why Butte, Montana is an isolated red dot in this map.
posted by traveler_ at 12:02 AM on October 29, 2015
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posted by chunking express at 9:00 AM on October 26, 2015 [4 favorites]